


Weekly Routine

by adara



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Ariadne plays cupid at the cost of Eames' liver, Barista Ariadne, Barista Arthur, Coffee Shops, Drinking Games, First Dates, Hangover, Inception Bingo, M/M, Pre-Relationship, inceptiversary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 15:02:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15342408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adara/pseuds/adara
Summary: On weekdays he always got a perfectly brewed cup of tea every morning, to-go cups every day but Wednesday for the last three years. The Saturday morning shuffling in had started a few weeks back. So now part of their weekly routine involved Arthur making an overly caffeinated sugary hangover remedy in a cup without question.Or, the one in which Barista!Arthur and his favorite regular have an eventful Saturday.





	Weekly Routine

**Author's Note:**

> This completes my diagonal line on my Inception Bingo card for the Drinking Games square.

Arthur had the venti caramel latte with coconut milk and two extra shots ready before the man in the crinkled paisley shirt ever reached the counter, the name Eames clearly written in sharpie. He was a regular. This is what he always got when he slunk into the cafe on Saturday mornings. Occasionally, he paired it the bacon and brie croissant but from his pallor Arthur was betting that he wouldn’t be trying to keep food down for a while today. 

On weekdays he always got a perfectly brewed cup of tea every morning, to-go cups every day but Wednesday for the last three years. On Wednesdays he worked on his laptop til Arthur got off at noon and, since they conveniently finished at the same time, they’d walk to the subway station together and talk until Arthur’s stop. That had been their weekly routine for nearly three years but the Saturday morning shuffling in had started a few weeks back. So now part of their weekly routine involved Arthur making an overly caffeinated sugary hangover remedy in a cup without question.

There was a grunt of what could possibly have been some sort of approval and a tenner was left on the counter where the latte cup had been. Arthur prepared the orders for the rest of the Saturday morning crowd with Ari before he noticed that Eames was not alone at his usual spot in the corner. He didn’t look pleased by it and Arthur didn’t recognize the newcomer. He didn’t appear to have ordered anything either. 

Arthur contemplated interrupting, running through viable excuses and coming up empty as he wiped down a neighboring table only for it to be immediately filled once he’d barely made a pass with his cloth. 

“Listen, mate, I’m sure you’re a lovely and charming individual but you see, I’ve had a rather late night being absolutely obliterated by my flatmate’s ridiculous American drinking games, and you’re blocking my view of the favorite part of my week.”

“I actually am both lovely  _ and _ charming,” The other man responded with a smirk as Arthur was still trying to figure out what exactly Eames meant by that. “But, lovely and charming as you seem to be, even if you are also apparently terrible at our drinking games, I really just wanted to know if you were using this extra chair here because we’re expecting one more and there’s a dearth of available seating.”

Eames rubbed a hand over his tired eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and waved a hand at the chair. “Right, yes, right. By all means.”

The two college girls that had seated themselves at the neighboring table were looking up at Arthur now, who was still standing there holding a cloth in his hand, as if assessing why he remained present in their claimed space. Ari broke the moment by calling to him from behind the counter.

When he walked over, she slid him a plate with Eames’ usual sandwich. “He looks slightly less like death now. Tell him I said to eat this.”

He did as he was told and slid the plate along with some napkins onto the table in front of Eames. “Ari said to eat this. I can bring you a glass of water, if you’d like. It may help you feel a bit better.”

“Darling, what would make me feel better would be for Ariadne to stop gloating from the counter about how obviously fine she’s feeling this morning and possibly for her to stop insisting I be on my own team until I, as she says, finally bring you home with me for game night. But I suppose a water probably wouldn’t hurt.” Eames pulled the sandwich plate closer and eyed Ariadne suspiciously.

Arthur could hear her joyous laugh from behind him as he scuttled over to fill a glass of water, “Oh my God, Eames. Just ask him out already!”

Arthur pointedly did not meet her gaze or acknowledge her comment. As chatty as Ariadne was, and he’d know her since she moved here for school two years before, she had neglected to mention that her new roomate was his favorite regular. They worked practically the same schedule. They talked every day. How could she not tell him this and how could he have missed picking that up on his own? He felt a bit embarrassed, wondered if Ari had shared with him how much Arthur enjoyed their discussions on art history and architecture as he made his way through his own degree. Had she shared with him how many times a week he’d started a sentence rehashing something he’d discussed with Eames? 

Half the croissant was gone when Arthur returned. He belatedly realized he was just standing next to the table holding the glass of water and blushing when Eames reached up to relieve him of it. Then something else clicked.

“I— have you been walking me to the subway just to walk with me? It’s just that I know Ari only lives four blocks from here and if you live together that means you don’t even need to catch the F train so—”

“Wouldn’t be the only thing I do to see more you, Arthur. I have a perfectly respectable kettle at home and a live-in barista and yet,” Eames looks around and shrugs before looking back at him.

“Oh.” 

“While this is far from how I imagined it being, I suppose now’s as good a time as any to see if you’re free to check out that Yugoslavian architecture exhibition at the MOMA?”

Arthur looked down at his watch, he’s fifteen minutes from shift change. Yusef is usually ten minutes early anyways. Plus, this is kind of what Ari had been angling for so he hopes she’s not too mad when he folds up his apron on the counter and walks out of the cafe with Eames. This time Eames has a legitimate reason to be taking the F train uptown. Arthur loves the exhibit and, quite possibly, Eames. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr at [9timesoutoften](https://9timesoutoften.tumblr.com/) where you can always reach out to me to talk Arthur & Eames


End file.
